Back to GOAT
Michael Jordan & LeBron James
The consensus two greatest players in NBA history, separated from the field and compared directly against each other across the awards, accolades, and career milestones in the dataset.
Comparison table
Awards, accolades and career milestones, side by side
Comparison table
Awards, accolades and career milestones, side by side
Categories won — Michael Jordan 18 · LeBron James 28
| Category | Michael Jordan | LeBron James |
|---|---|---|
| Position | SG/PG/SF | SF/PF/PG/CE/SG |
| Height & Weight | 6'6", 210 lbs | 6'9", 250 lbs |
| Career Span | 1984–2003 | 2003–present |
| Teams | CHI (1984-1998), WAS (2001-2003) | CLE (2003-2010), MIA (2010-2014), CLE (2014-2018), LAL (2018-2026), PHI (2026-present) |
| Career PPG | 30.1 | 26.8 |
| Career RPG | 6.2 | 7.5 |
| Career APG | 5.3 | 7.4 |
| Career STL | 2.3 | 1.5 |
| Career BPG | 0.8 | 0.7 |
| Career TOPG | 2.7 | 3.5 |
| Career FG% | 49.7% | 50.7% |
| Career 3P% | 32.7% | 34.8% |
| Career FT% | 83.5% | 73.7% |
| MVP Awards | 5 | 4 |
| MVP Runner-Up | 3 | 4 |
| MVP Top 5 Finishes | 10 | 10 |
| All-Star Selections | 14 | 22 |
| All-Star Game MVP | 3 | 3 |
| All-NBA 1st Team | 10 | 13 |
| All-NBA 2nd Team | 1 | 4 |
| All-NBA 3rd Team | 0 | 4 |
| All-Defensive 1st Team | 9 | 5 |
| All-Defensive 2nd Team | 0 | 1 |
| Defensive Player of the Year | 1 | 0 |
| DPOY Runner-Up | 1 | 2 |
| DPOY Top 5 Finishes | 7 | 5 |
| Rookie of the Year | 1 | 1 |
| Olympic Gold Medals | 2 | 3 |
| PPG Titles | 10 | 1 |
| PPG Top 5 | 10 | 12 |
| AST Titles | 0 | 1 |
| AST Top 5 | 0 | 3 |
| STL Titles | 3 | 0 |
| STL Top 5 | 8 | 2 |
| Championships | 6 | 4 |
| Finals MVP | 6 | 4 |
| NBA Finals Appearances | 6 | 10 |
| Conference Finals Appearances | 8 | 13 |
| Playoff Appearances | 12 | 19 |
| Games Played | 1,072 | 1,622 |
| Career Points | 32,292 | 43,440 |
| All-Time Scoring Rank | #6 | #1 |
| All-Time Rebounding Rank | #143 | #23 |
| All-Time Assists Rank | #53 | #4 |
| All-Time Steals Rank | #4 | #6 |
| All-Time Blocks Rank | #128 | #71 |
| Triple Doubles | 28 | 125 |
| Career-high - Points | 69 | 61 |
| Career-high - Rebounds | 18 | 20 |
| Career-high - Assists | 17 | 19 |
| Career-high - Steals | 10 | 7 |
| Career-high - Blocks | 6 | 43 |
| Career-high - Game Score | 64.6 | 53.2 |
| Most Finals MVP awards (6) | Most all-star game selections (23) | |
| Most NBA Scoring titles (10) | Most All-NBA selections (21) | |
| Highest career scoring average in the regular season (30.12) | Most 20ppg seasons (23) | |
| Highest career scoring average in the playoffs (33.4) | Most 25ppg seasons (20) | |
| Most points scored in a playoff game (63) | All-time games played leader, regular season | |
| Most 40-point playoff games (38) | All-time games played leader, playoffs | |
| Most 30-point playoff games (109) | All-time minutes played leader, regular season | |
| Highest scoring average in an NBA Finals series (41 ppg - 1993) | All-time minutes played leader, playoffs | |
| Most points in a six-game NBA Finals series (246 - 1993) | All-time scoring leader, regular season | |
| — | All-time scoring leader, playoffs | |
| — | All-time field goals made leader, regular season | |
| — | Most 40-point games at the age of 38 or older (4) | |
| — | Most 30-point games at the age of 38 or older (34) | |
| — | Most consecutive games with 10-plus points (1,297 from 2007-2025) | |
| Only NBA player to win a scoring title and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season (1987-88) | Youngest player in NBA History to reach 10k, 20k, and 30k career points | |
| First player to win NBA MVP and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season (1987-88) | Only player in NBA History with at least 10,000 career rebounds and 6,000 career assists | |
| Only player to win NBA MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, All-Star Game MVP, the scoring title, and the Slam Dunk Contest in the same calendar year (1988). | Only player in NBA History with at least 2,000 dunks and at least 2,000 3-pointers (in the 30 years of play-by-play data) | |
| Won back-to-back NBA Slam Dunk Contests (1987, 1988) | First player in NBA History to reach 40k career points | |
| Only player in NBA history to score 50 points in a game after turning 38 years old | Only player in NBA History to make an All-NBA team in the 19th, 20th, 21st and 22nd seasons of their career. | |
| — | First player in NBA History to play in a regular season game with his son | |
| — | First player in NBA History to play in a playoff game with his son | |
| — | — | |
| — | — | |
| — | — | |
Highlighting marks the better value in each category (lower is better for scoring rank). Profile rows are informational and never scored.
Framing the discussion
Ten questions to consider when debating the two
Framing the discussion
Ten questions to consider when debating the two
10 questions to consider when debating Michael Jordan versus LeBron James
Who is a better basketball player?
- <fill-in later>
Who had a more impressive career overall?
- <fill-in later>
Who had the higher peak?
- <fill-in later>
Who was a better offensive player?
- <fill-in later>
Who was a better defensive player?
- <fill-in later>
Who would you build a franchise/team around?
- <fill-in later>
Who would you pick to win a single game?
- <fill-in later>
Who would you pick to get a basket on a single possession?
- <fill-in later>
Who has made a larger impact on the NBA?
- <fill-in later>
Who has made a larger impact on the culture?
- <fill-in later>
The Breakdown
Peak vs. longevity, era context and playoff résumés
The Breakdown
Peak vs. longevity, era context and playoff résumés
Written analysis — peak vs. longevity, era context, playoff résumés, and the case for each — to be added.